RANT: I'm pissed and frustrated and I need advice!

If you have a Dodge truck that is more than a few years old, and hasn't fallen apart yet.....It IS a classic.......................

 

Most people would be amazed at how much money they blow when eating out. A glass of tea is over $2 nowadays. Multiply that by 300 or 400 times a year and you just bought a used motor and tranny if you would drink water. Most entrees at restaurants will have enough food for 2 or more meals. Get a doggie box !!! My wife and I usually share one entree or bring 1/2 home.

 

Priorities if you really want it you will find a way. It's not easy for anyone but just think were you would be if you hadn't listened to you're father.

 

You have gotten some great advise and some harsh criticism, but that's life! You are YOUNG, you probably won't be able to build your dream ride immediately. I'm guessing many here didn't have money for our projects until we were older. Hang in there, save some money so you can grab a good deal if you find something cool and someday soon you will have your ride..........my.02.

 

Lotta love here.....Loooooottttttaaaa love.
If this shit was easy it would'nt go on for 5 pages. DIG IT?

 

I am on the opposite end of the young guys problem. I retired last year, and money, once again is going to have to be budgeted..........If I want something new, I am likely to have to get a part time job to get it.................Life is one viscous circle............

 

Do like i do, buy the parts first and worry about eating later, sure helps you watch your money

 

Benjamin Franklin once said back in the 1700's - "Mind your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."

Still great advice today.

 

pack A Lunch, Take Out A Loan , If You Put That Much Energy Into That "rant"..then You Have Enough Time To Get A Part Time Job....maybe A Columnist At The Local Newspaper!!!!!!!

 

Fortunately, my job offers overtime. I work 3 spots a week and the cash goes into a car account. Since 1998, I've built 2 cars and bought 2 finished cars, all with overtime money.

 

Then you start off where everyone else did. Either buy something cheap and build it slowly over time or scour ebay and craigslist to come across the deal of the century. Those are the only two ways to get into your dream car for cheap. Unless your dream car is a '52 Packard 4dr. I searched for a '51 Ford for almost 3 years until I finally bought one, and it was the deal of the decade for me. Its been almost 2 years and I've been collecting parts in the same manner, doing the cheap small things, and working like a crazy man to fund the things I can't, and don't want to skimp on. I work a 9-5 and pull down less than what you make to pay my bills, and run my custom paint and body business on the wknds to fund my projects. End of story.

 

i have a shop and its not easy for me most of my projects are all in the works and when a customer throws a part out or what ever i snatch it up and adapt it to my whatever and oh get use to not having any money.

 

Man there is some really good advice on here. Some of which I'm gonna use myself. I never realized how much money I waste.

 

I didn't read all the messages. Here's some thoughts: Give up cable TV. Don't eat out. Find cheaper insurance. Find cheaper housing. Get a cheaper cell phone, or better yet, give it up. Find a way to make money on the side. Lower your sights a lot. Examples you will probably hate are from Craig's list, Kansas City. '62 Falcon Ranchero w/260 V8, $2,500. 1955 Caddy runs good, $4,000. '53 Chevy 5 window truck, later 6 and 4 speed, $2,200. Etc. They are projects you can drive, are cheap, and not too common. Best of all, they are cheap drivers! Have fun with cheap stuff first, make a profit on them with well chosen improvements, then do it again. That's how I got my '32 Woodie. Not by being rich, but by wheeling and dealing with a lot of vehicles for some years before the big payoff. And I had fun with all that cheaper junk, too! Last, decide if you would be happier being pissed or happier driving some kinda neat old cheap heap. I suspect you already know the answer, and the answer has wheels.

 

ok now i'm pissed and frustrated suck it up emo kid.
i see having a hot rod just like having my kids if you wait to afford one you'll never have one.i started a family when i was your age and the two of us made less than 7 dollars an hour. i worked extra when i could butt still made time for my Kidd's and wife and still built kool shit on minimum wage.
and then i moved on 2 cars so i bought a 63 four door belair was it a 2 door s/s no butt was it fun yes.
then i wanted to practice my skills so i got a 78 buick wagon and welded the hell out of it. then i started searching for my first hotrod project keep in mind now i make 40 grand a year three kids all in sports and activities a house payment wifes car payment and i drive a piece of shit jap car cuz it was cheap and doesn't guzzle gas. i only get $1100 dollars a year to spend on my hobby but with patience i will have 1 i found a 29 essex sedan on ebay got it for 450 plus a 24 hour drive to Detroit and back. now a year later i have bought a 52 buick motor. a stude grill and a list of parts am i on the road yet no butt i sure as hell ain't crying i'm making due at 31 listening to some damn emo kid cry he doesn't have a car. whatever i lost train of thought

p.s. please buy a $3000 model a leave the cheap stuff for us real poor sob's

 

I was doing the same thing when i was younger and just getting started. i lived in a very nice part of town (rented apt.) i had a new car, the hot blonde g/f, all the best of the best i could afford. i had my 51 ford sitting at my folks house from when i bought it when i was 13 for $75 that i havent even touched. i did side jobs and stuff to foot the bill for my hobbies, building model cars, collecting baseball cards, and guns. the model cars were something to pacify the gear head in me (and give me ideas as to what i was going to do when i started my project) and the baseball cards and guns were a way to make more money by buying them cheap and selling them for more. i did this for at least 6 or 7 years till i was able to afford starting a project (i also got married, had a couple of kids bought a new house). then i would network with friends and club members to get some killer deals. it takes time and just be patient. Rome was not built in a day and neither was a Hot Rod!

 

$3.25 per pack. Over here they are more like $14. and our dollar is real close to yours.

I'm sure every one here knows someone who spends BIG ( $400 a week! ) on grog and complains about not having any money. Don't be one of them

 

I have plenty of projects, but most of mine tend to fall into the muscle car category. I wanted a real Hot Rod and devised a plan. I hate to say the "F" word, but that is what I did when I got tired of the high prices people wanted for vintage tin when I was looking for a suitable candidate to build. I bought a Speedway Motors "F"iberglass '27- T and built or scrounged the rest, and I do mean scrounged. It has been a little over a year, and I now have a running car that needs a few details to be on the road. Some of the things that I got for little or nothing were the Model A wishbone, the '37 front axle, F-100 brakes, all the wheels, Toploader 3 speed tranny, 8" rearend, gauges etc. etc. and I could go on and on. I will have about $3000,000 in this car when it is finished, so it can be done.

 

I started small with bikes. Built and sold a couple Harley customs before getting my first hot rod. I didn't read every post so I'm not sure of your skills, but if you don't already have a welder and want to practice or start building a chassis, you can use my Miller MIG.
It's not ALL about money, Hans.
I think the baddest rods and customs are built buy guys who have more talent than money.
I look up to the guys with the talent, not the guys with the money.
Good luck.

 

i did not read every post but a suggestion, hang around where there is some car action under construction, help out a buddy, maybe find a shop that will let you do some part time what ever. this way you wont be spending money, can get more experience and maybe pick up a steal of a buy.

 

I have the "deal of the day", for you Grenade Man. How about a "FREE CAR"
Compliments of the fine folks out here at Desert Valley Auto Parts Phx. AZ.
www.dvap.com The gimmike you may ask.....
I would have to have you comply to a few Tasks and answer a few questions that relate to the "Rat Rod" hobby WE need to prove that this "PRIZE" is rightfully awarded to you and not a mistake.
**** This is a Rat Rod used starter kit ( body, frame title)
E-mail back a reply for my demands.
And if not ...there is a way to relieve frustration in an instant!!
Thanks
Jason McClure DVAP.com jmcclure@dvap.com

 

Now there is a deal you can't refuse

The best rig to start out on is a pickup. Interior work is a rattle can and a comfortable junkyard seat away. You have room under the hood for anything, the suspension is simple. Most you can do a spring under in the rear (which can be modern for parts availability sake) and and a set of drop spindles that take modern disc brakes.

Picture this: A '55-'59 Chevy or GMC with a 500 Caddy motor out of a junkyard. It would be unexpected to find something besides a SBC under the hood. Or keep the 235 and three on the tree, they are good motors too. Some of the GMCs have Pontiac V8s already from the factory.

A '57-'60 Ford F100, dropped, with a common as dirt 390, or even the original Y-block. These trucks can be had cheap. And they can look cool "under construction".

If you expect your car to be like Jimmy White's Hemi-A right out of the box you are setting yourself up for a disappointment and an excuse to put it off . He has more than a few unbelievably well crafted cars under his belt, and that A is a whole lot more than what you see there in that regard, it is a masterly fabricated work of art that captures the concept of "wicked as Jezebel" in a well built package. Yeah I've heard it, it needs front brakes... Pfft! Check out the Nailhead and his Caddy too.

Forget the '30's stuff for awhile, build a driver with what you can get your hands on. Pickups are cheap compared to cars.

 

First Rule to having enuff $$$ to build a Hotrod.... Join the convent!

Women= 0$$$ and 0 time for cars

 

I was 9 years out of ISU and always living well below my means. I was able to start some real work on my 50 F-1 in 96' that I had owned since 78'. That started a literal avalanche of builds that has grown into a mini fleet. We all get frustrated because our projects are under funded. Be patient and stay focused, you have nothing to be pissed about. You'll get there if you want to.

 

Stop being pissed and waiting for something magic to happen . . . start getting busy on making it happen. Almost any of us can save more money than we do - don't go to lunch, eat at home, don't go out . . . only have a few beers instead of a sixer . . . many places to trim the fat in most of our lives.

It comes down to priorities, hard work and starting ANYTHING within your means. I know guys that have been dreaming and buying parts for 30 years - and have not built a damn thing. Get involved in a car club, get a second job in the auto business, start buying/swapping parts. Sometimes just buying a PIECE of a car you want helps to keep the dream alive. Start small and build from there.

Just get started and stop bitching about it. The road is lined with dreamers and quitters - pick yourself up by your boot straps and decide to make something happen.

I put my hotrods down for almost 20 years -- and got started again by just buying/swapping parts and going to hotrod shows again. Having a couple cool parts in your desk at work - reminds you of what you'd really like to be doing!

 

I get most of my money buying and selling parts to pay for my hobby. It takes a lot of work and time. Get to the swap meets early check local papers and craigslist. Meet other people in your area with same interest and help them work on there cars. Most of us have lots of spare parts from years of collecting and give away parts to people around us who help out or show interest. You don't need much money to get started just enthusasaim and hard work!

 

One thing I remember that I always found meaningful was Don Prudhomme talking to Dan Gurney about his aspirations for getting into Indy cars. Gurney told Prudhomme; "Don, if you want it bad enough you'll find a way to do it." All roads lead to hard work in some form or another. Side jobs for bucks, grad school for a better job, the library for more knowledge, hell, reading self help books may even be the path to find what you really want.

I also think the trip is a lot more rewarding than reaching the pot of gold.

FWIW

-90% Jimmy, the consumate adult under achiever

 

hey, if i can give you my advice on this... if you want to strat a project, start it .

you dont need to start with a body. you ll have nowhere to put it untill you have a rolling frame right ? just start somewhere, either with a motor or some steel tubing... my hot rod project started when a friend of mine in Fresno handed me a 94 carb. he said here, take it thats the start of your project. i started tinkering with the carb. then found a donor car (long story short, even if its a pretty good story) had a motor , then frame, didnt like the frame so sold it, built one, etc... sure if you want a body today you ll pay. but you can still find them cheap if you wait. i saw a very decent model A coupe go for 500$ once. patience!!! and get started. another motivational piece was when Tony and Jim from the alterboys sold me a fenton dual intake for my flathead. that was my first 'hot rod' part as in 'speed equipement'..... befre that i guess all i had was a flatmotor that could have belonged in a family car and a holley 94. anyway my advice is just start your project. dont worry about the money you'll cough it up when a deal you cant let go will be in front of you !! trust me you'll find a way !!

Billy

 

Ok guys.. Hans has stepped up and made a deal with me to purchase my 29 dodge 3 window coupe.. ( rolling ,stock chassis and partialy channeled body)
Of course i had to sweeten the deal and agree to help him build it ! LOL !
He really wants to learn this hobby top to bottom and I was already gonna mentor him..
We will need to build a trunk lid ( maybe rumble seat ? ) do a bunch of rust repair,finish the channel job, build floors, etc.,etc,...
He is ( in my opinion) a sincere , polite young man who is willing to work to achieve his goals. He has a college degree and a good job. I look forward to working with him on this project.
I left the camera down at the shop. Will post the start of project pics tomorrow.
Dave Lewis
Oh yeah.. If any body else wants to learn welding,fab,or just hang out and help..... pm Hans or Me and lets get busy !

 

Pave the way Dave, its good to hear he found someone to help get him on track.

s.